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iTunes updates/downloads are ridiculously slow - Everything else seems OK - No FAP

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dayvv
New Member

iTunes updates/downloads are ridiculously slow - Everything else seems OK - No FAP

For the past couple of weeks, I have been virtually unable to update and/or download things from iTunes. I say virtually, because it IS possible, but the data comes in  kBs instead of MBs--excruciatingly slow. Only on iTunes and Apple updates-- nothing else.

Everything else appears to be running just fine speedwise, except there's a single Windows Defender update is experiencing the same thing (and I seriously doubt that's on the same server ring as iTunes!)

I am not FAP'd.  Double green status. Any suggestions?
26 REPLIES 26
Veritas
New Member

You can only DL as fast as the server you are DLing from. If you are getting fast DL's from every other site there is a good possibility that the problem is with Apple and iTunes. Don't use Windows Defender currently but as I remember from many moons ago it was always slow.

Highly unlikely there is any fault with Hughesnet if these are the only problems. If it was with HN you would experience the slow down everywhere.

What does testmy.net tell you?
dayvv
New Member

This has been consistent for about 2-3 weeks, but only when I'm connected through hughesnet. When I access iTunes through another service, the speeds are fine. So I'm pretty sure it's not the Apple servers (although it could be the way that information is getting from them to hughesnet, but that's probably not Apple's problem, right?)

My Windows Defender updates typically download at regular speed, not kBs per second as it is currently.

TestMy:


Any other ideas? I hope it's not something stupid I'm missing.

My traceroute consistently has a hop that times out. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though--that server might not be sending responses. OR that server could be adding some crazy latency:

tracert itunes.apple.com
Tracing route to e673.e9.akamaiedge.net [23.12.242.217]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2     2 ms     1 ms     2 ms  x.x.x.x
  3   598 ms   555 ms   571 ms  69.35.169.242
  4   604 ms   548 ms   578 ms  69.35.172.58
  5   571 ms   579 ms   591 ms  69.35.172.14
  6   564 ms   570 ms   594 ms  66.196.48.241
  7   610 ms   582 ms   544 ms  12.250.166.29
  8   580 ms   584 ms   589 ms  12.122.150.74
  9   554 ms   595 ms   575 ms  12.122.150.6
 10   600 ms   591 ms   569 ms  12.122.150.65
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12   588 ms   578 ms   580 ms  12.120.117.64
 13   581 ms  1079 ms   698 ms  23.12.242.217
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

I use Windows Defender on my notebook computer, and it often updates very slowly.  I think it's just Windows servers.  Sometimes Windows updates themselves seem to take forever, even though they should be going a lot faster.  It took over an hour for the Windows updates to download for me tonight, and they were less than 400MB, yet my actual Hughesnet speed is very good and the updates should have been over in less than five minutes.    

As for ITunes, it seems to be a problem for a few people. 

Kevin Jones
New Member

This is typical of Hughesnet. It is the worst in speed to do anything!!! Their ads are misleading and very unreal in their presentation. Unfortunately of you can't get regular cable service this is the only option. We are moving and getting regular cable service. Can't wait.
maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

Same problem as dayvv, and for about the same length of time.  It happens mostly with iphone apps. I can still stream just fine. An app update of 76.4 MB took over 20 minutes to DL.
robert_clark
New Member

Same here.  On 3 SEP 2016 I tried updates from Microsoft, Apple, and Intel.  The updates were slow.  Everything else: fine.  So yeah, HN is throttling the servers that serve patches and updates.  It's the old trick of letting the peasants have their circuses.
maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

I just downloaded a song from iTunes -- I don't know how big these files are, but it didn't take an inordinate amount of time to download. It seemed normal. Still downloading a 75 MB app on the iPhone. It's been over 25 minutes now. Get with it, Apple.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Robert,
The only throttling that place is if you deplete your allowance .
Server response is a function of those servers.
dayvv
New Member

Gwalk900: So if these servers aappear to be working just fine when I access them through services other than hughesnet (I was able to process an iTunes app update and a Windows Defender update at "normal speeds" externally through two different providers), where is the issue? Is it hughesnet, or is it the owner of the server?
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

There very well have been some changes made by Apple in regards to the way servers respond. Usually latency is at the root of this.

There is nothing that Hughes can do to increase the speed of light or reduce the distance to the satellite in orbit.

There very likely are things that can be done between Hughes and Apple after the Holiday weekend.


dayvv
New Member

Additional, hopefully helpful, info:
I needed an update to iTunes itself on my Windows machine.
I tried Apple Update and the data creeped at kBs.
I went to the web iTunes download page (http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/) and the download occurred at normal speeds.

I'm sure those are probably different servers, but maybe someone who is more knowledgeable than me can get something valuable out of that.
GW
Advanced Tutor

Wow Gabe. 400 MB and it needed an hour? If you brought your notebook to my house last night for that project, you would have been feeling like you deserved a lifetime achievement award.
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Kevin,

If you have having speed issues, please create an account at testmy.net, and while signed into that account, and with a single device connected directly to the modem (NO ROUTER), run some download tests using the manual 12MB test size.  Then create a new post, explaining your speed issues, and post the link to your speed test results at testmy.net.  Again, please create an account and run the tests under that account.  It keeps al of the speed test results on a single page.

postcardzone
New Member

I am having this problem as well.  It's not a FAP issue.  It's not a router issue.  It only affects Apple updates.  The updates from Apple used to fly early in the morning.  Now I get 8 minute download time for a 22 mb app update.  Just attempted update for Republique game. 2.31 gb file.  Time showing 11 hours to complete.  Really?

It is specific to Hughes.net as I can download over a very weak cellular signal and get much faster downloads.  When out somewhere on public wifi, there are no speed issues with app store updates either.  Someone at Hughes.net please get this working again.
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Well, considering that a file size of 400MB would download in less than five minutes at the normal speed that I average around that time in the evening, a time of over an hour simply demonstrates that there are other factors in play, with Microsoft's servers definitely being one of them.  Of course, with that said, if a company's servers have to "serve" millions at any given time, I can understand them slowing a tad.  Had I been using the "update from more than one place" option, I'm sure it would have been much quicker.   

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

This makes me think even more that it has something to do with the latency and something that recently changed with Apple's servers.  Something that doesn't like the high latency. 
postcardzone
New Member

thanks for your input Gabe,  sadly, i only know just enough to be dangerous in such matters

this morning, i tried to download a 90mb app update and when the counter topped out at 6 hours i just stopped it

it would seem this is gonna be a merry-go-round ... Hughes will blame Apple, Apple will blame Hughes, customers lose

if you couple Apple stopping iTunes ability to import app updates that i download to iPad when out somewhere on public wifi with this fiasco, it creates something of a quandary

apps that show in iTunes as requiring an update are really starting to pile up
Chris11
Alum

Hi Dayvv,

Thanks for posting. We are aware that some users are having difficulty downloading updates from the app stores. Everyone who posted in Wadebears thread, and this one has been added to a list and escalated. I will update everyone once we have more information. Keep us posted on any changes you experience, or if something comes up that you feel would help in our investigation. Stay tuned.

Thank you,
Chris
postcardzone
New Member

Chris,

With Apple just releasing a new iPhone, the updates will really flow heavily for a while.  It is good to know that HN is aware of the issue and is following up.

thank you and godspeed